POW MIA Edition Honors Sacrifice For America''To Those We Have Lost, You Are Not Forgotten.''

POW MIA Edition Honors Sacrifice For America''To Those We Have Lost, You Are Not Forgotten.''

POW MIA Guitar model specifications

One of the most difficult things to do is to say goodbye to a loved one, a friend, or anyone else who has been a special part of your life in one way or another. Can you imagine what it must be like for a family to not know the fate of a loved one?

“To those we have lost, you are not forgotten” is the theme that inspired a small group of Martin employees to design an instrument dedicated to the families of American servicemen and women who were held in captivity or are still missing in action - the POW MIA Dreadnought Special Edition Model.

This classic 14-fret Martin Dreadnought is crafted of premium, solid tonewoods - mahogany back and sides and Sitka spruce top with scalloped "hybrid" bracing. The body is finished in elegant black polished lacquer.

To contrast the black top, the soundhole is surrounded with a single ring of standard paua shell inlay. White Boltaron binding is used to outline and protect the top and back edges; the side inlay consists of thin black-white-black fiber. A Style 45 thick black mosaic backstrip joins the two-piece back.

The POW MIA modified low oval neck is comprised of genuine mahogany with a 1-11/16" neck width at the nut. Neck appointments include a black Corian nut matched by a black Micarta saddle and a black ebony belly bridge with abalone inlaid black bridge pins and endpin. In addition, the solid, square-tapered headstock is fitted with Gotoh chrome tuners with large knobs.

The truly touching appointments of the POW MIA Dreadnought Special Edition relate to the block, headplate and black ebony fingerboard. The laser engraving on the block reads “POW MIA All Gave Some, Some Gave All.” In addition, the POW MIA flag with the slogan “You Are Not Forgotten” is displayed below the raised silver foil “C. F. Martin & Co.” logo on the black ebony headplate. An eagle with a waving, eightstar flag is inlaid in mother of pearl at the 1st fret of the fingerboard. This eagle with flag design was created by Martin employee Matthew Rinker as a lasting tribute to his father Barry Rinker. Barry Rinker was a dedicated Martin employee for 35 years and was very proud of both his service to our company and to our country. He was a United States Marine Corps Sergeant from 1963-1967 who served in Vietnam from 1964 to 1965, and his name was inscribed on the wall of honor for deceased veterans from Pennsylvania's Lehigh and Northampton counties. The eight stars on the flag symbolize Barry's unexpected death on the 8th day of the 8th month (August) 2002.

The POW MIA theme is further exemplified in the fingerboard with additional mother of pearl inlays: P O W from the 3rd to 5th frets, a small fivepointed star at the 6th fret, M I A from the 7th to 9th frets, double tear drops at the 12th fret, a single tear drop at the 15th and 17th frets and the Prisoner of War ribbon is suggested in colored pearl between the 19th and 20th frets. The Prisoner of War Medal and ribbon were issued only to those United States military personnel who were taken prisoner and held captive after April 5, 1917.

Delivered in a specially designed United States flag-themed case with black hardware, each Martin POW MIA Dreadnought Special Edition bears an interior label signed by Martin Chairman and CEO C. F. Martin IV and is numbered in sequence. In addition, a stainless steel bracelet will be sent to the original owner upon completion of the Martin warranty. POW MIA bracelets were first worn during the 1970s to draw attention to the prisoners and missing in action during the Vietnam War. They were engraved with the name, rank, service, loss date and country of loss. The bracelet accompanying this guitar will be engraved as follows: